Most dangerous braking situatin

["The Staub Family" <jstaub@domain.elided>]

I've been on black ice without any major problems, and done a 360 on the
highway at 60 mph, but the maneuver that gave me the biggest 'pucker factor'
was the time I tried downshifting in a rear wheel drive car going into a
stop on an icy street, thinking that the engine would help slow down the
vehicle. Seems I forgot that friction between the road and the wheels slows
the engine down, not the other way around. As soon as I let off the clutch,
the engine redlined and the tires started spinning, and I got to see
everyone face to face (oncoming & side traffic) as I spun through the
intersection. I did 1 1/2 turns before I came to a stop pointing back the
way I came. Surprisingly, the only damage that was sustained was my
girlfriend's fingernails buried into my right bicep.

So the moral of the story is: downshifting- wouldn't be prudent at this
juncture.
John